It is known to provide a connector assembly which is capable of connecting a plurality of optical fiber connectors in a side-by-side or parallel arrangement. Such an arrangement of parallel connectors may be coupled together to circuit components on a printed circuit board, for instance, or they may be mounted together in an appropriate panel. Typically, the connectors are plug-type connectors for insertion into an assembly housing in their parallel arrangement. Therefore, each connector includes a plug end. In addition, the connectors include some form of interengaging means on the sides thereof to interconnect the connectors in their side-by-side or parallel arrangement. The interengaged connectors then can be inserted into a plug-receiving cavity in the assembly housing. The interengaging means on the sides of the connectors may be complementary interengaging male and female engaging portions, for instance.
In most prior art optical fiber connector assemblies of the character described above, the male and female engaging portions on the sides of the connectors are fully or at least partially inserted into the plug-receiving cavity of the housing. Typically, the plug-receiving cavity is defined by a single enlarged opening extending laterally for receiving the entire arrangement of interengaged parallel connectors. In other words, the plug-receiving cavity of the connector housing cannot receive and hold a single connector independently. In addition, the male and female engaging portions on the sides of the connectors often extend all the way to plug ends of the connectors.
While prior art optical fiber connector assemblies as described above are effective in simultaneously coupling a plurality of parallel connectors and then inserting the connectors into a plug-receiving cavity of an assembly housing, problems are encountered when it is desirable to use less than the entire number of connectors which are accommodated by the plug-receiving cavity. In other words, if an assembly is designed to interconnect three optical fiber cores in a single assembly, there may be occasions where all three of the optical fiber cores are not required to be connected at the same time, depending upon the specifications or parameters for the optical transmission system with which the connectors are being used. If it is desired to connect only one optical fiber core, a single connector cannot be accommodated by the connector housing.
Furthermore, when a single optical fiber connector is to be inserted into the optical connector housing, it would be desirable to be able to insert the single connector in any circumferentially oriented position whereby the single connector can be freely mated in the assembly housing. This is not possible with the prior art described above, because the assembly is designed primarily for accommodating a plurality of individual connectors coupled together in a parallel arrangement.
The present invention is directed to solving these various problems by providing an optical fiber connector assembly which not only can accommodate a varying number of individual optical fiber connectors, but an individual connector can be freely mated without regard to its circumferential orientation.